Abstract
The spatial patterns poultry traders’ movements are an important factor influencing avian influenza virus (AIV) spreading in poultry trading chains. A longitudinal study was conducted in Chattogram, Bangladesh, involving
16 live poultry traders. Each trader’s movements were recorded with a bespoke mobile phone TRACKING App over three consecutive days, while survey questions, incorporated into the App, captured details of the transactions. Additionally, oro-pharyngeal swabs collected from chickens at farms and transport endpoints, and environmental samples from vehicles were screened for AIVs. In-depth qualitative interviews with traders
and employed staff provided data on perceptions, behaviours and barriers of poultry trading. A total of 87 individual daily movements (‘trip”) were recorded. One trip includes on average 9 stops, including farms,
roadside trading sites, chicken storage facilities and live bird markets (LBM). Mean distance travelled per trip was 101.1 km, median distance from one stop to another on a trip was 2.4 km. During each trip, traders visited 1-3 farms (purchasing 160-1,600 birds/farm and transporting in average 784 chicken/truck load) and supplied birds to 4-16 LBMs or roadside trading sites. At LBM, they supplied 20-1300 chickens to 1-8 vendors, while at
roadside sites, they supplied 9-387 chickens to 1-2 vendors. Around 0-10% samples were positive for AIVs on farms whereas at the trading endpoints this increased to 12-19%. Network analysis will be used to investigate
the social structures of trading networks, while regression models will be applied to identify risk factors of AIV. Qualitative interviews highlighted, employed staff merely follow instructions provided by traders, including inconsistent adherence to biosecurity measures during chicken loading and unloading. This study highlights that traders’ movements and some of their practices are likely influencing the spread of AIV in poultry and need to be addressed to achieve effective mitigation of zoonotic disease risk associated with poultry trading.
Moreover, the TRACKING App used in this study can readily be adapted and modified for other purposes, providing a sustainable research tool that can be rapidly scaled up in a variety of research scenarios to record mobility data.
16 live poultry traders. Each trader’s movements were recorded with a bespoke mobile phone TRACKING App over three consecutive days, while survey questions, incorporated into the App, captured details of the transactions. Additionally, oro-pharyngeal swabs collected from chickens at farms and transport endpoints, and environmental samples from vehicles were screened for AIVs. In-depth qualitative interviews with traders
and employed staff provided data on perceptions, behaviours and barriers of poultry trading. A total of 87 individual daily movements (‘trip”) were recorded. One trip includes on average 9 stops, including farms,
roadside trading sites, chicken storage facilities and live bird markets (LBM). Mean distance travelled per trip was 101.1 km, median distance from one stop to another on a trip was 2.4 km. During each trip, traders visited 1-3 farms (purchasing 160-1,600 birds/farm and transporting in average 784 chicken/truck load) and supplied birds to 4-16 LBMs or roadside trading sites. At LBM, they supplied 20-1300 chickens to 1-8 vendors, while at
roadside sites, they supplied 9-387 chickens to 1-2 vendors. Around 0-10% samples were positive for AIVs on farms whereas at the trading endpoints this increased to 12-19%. Network analysis will be used to investigate
the social structures of trading networks, while regression models will be applied to identify risk factors of AIV. Qualitative interviews highlighted, employed staff merely follow instructions provided by traders, including inconsistent adherence to biosecurity measures during chicken loading and unloading. This study highlights that traders’ movements and some of their practices are likely influencing the spread of AIV in poultry and need to be addressed to achieve effective mitigation of zoonotic disease risk associated with poultry trading.
Moreover, the TRACKING App used in this study can readily be adapted and modified for other purposes, providing a sustainable research tool that can be rapidly scaled up in a variety of research scenarios to record mobility data.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 25 Oct 2022 |
| Event | UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub Annual Conference 2022 - Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka, Bangladesh Duration: 25 Oct 2022 → 27 Oct 2022 https://www.onehealthpoultry.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GCRF-UKRI-One-Health-Poultry-Hub-conference-doc-20221022.pdf |
Conference
| Conference | UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub Annual Conference 2022 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Bangladesh |
| City | Dhaka |
| Period | 25/10/22 → 27/10/22 |
| Internet address |
